1981 New England Patriots season

The 1981 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League and 22nd overall. The Patriots ended the season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East Division.

1981 New England Patriots season
Head coachRon Erhardt
General managerBucko Kilroy
OwnerBilly Sullivan
Home fieldSchaefer Stadium
Results
Record2–14
Division placeT-4th AFC East
Playoff finishdid not qualify
Pro BowlersG John Hannah
AP All-ProsG John Hannah (1st team)

The Patriots lost their first four games, and then ten of their last eleven, including the last nine games of the season. Eight of their losses were by margins of seven or fewer points; the largest margin of defeat was only 14 points. The Patriots were defeated in both the first and last games of the season by the Baltimore Colts; the Patriots' bookend losses proved to be Baltimore’s only two wins of the 1981 season. It was known that the loser of that last game would have the first pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, and the game was nicknamed “The Stupor Bowl.”[1] With the Patriot loss, the team had the first pick, choosing University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims, an eventual draft “bust” as first overall pick in the NFL draft.

Offseason

NFL Draft
See also: 1981 NFL Draft
1981 New England Patriots draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 19 Brian Holloway *  Tackle Stanford
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff
New England Patriots 1981 staff
Front Office
  • President – Billy Sullivan
  • Executive Vice President – Chuck Sullivan
  • General Manager – Bucko Kilroy
  • Assistant General Manager – Patrick Sullivan
  • Director of Player Development – Dick Steinberg
  • Director of College Scouting – Joe Mendes
  • Director of Pro Scouting – Bill McPeak

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

  

Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

Roster
1981 New England Patriots roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Season summary

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 6, 1981 Baltimore Colts L 28–29
49,572
2 September 13, 1981 at Philadelphia Eagles L 3–13
71,089
3 September 21, 1981 Dallas Cowboys L 21–35
60,311
4 September 27, 1981 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–27
53,344
5 October 4, 1981 Kansas City Chiefs W 33–17
55,931
6 October 11, 1981 at New York Jets L 24–28
55,093
7 October 18, 1981 Houston Oilers W 38–10
60,474
8 October 25, 1981 at Washington Redskins L 22–24
50,394
9 November 1, 1981 at Oakland Raiders L 17–27
44,246
10 November 8, 1981 Miami Dolphins L 27–30
60,436
11 November 15, 1981 New York Jets L 6–17
45,342
12 November 22, 1981 at Buffalo Bills L 17–20
71,593
13 November 29, 1981 St. Louis Cardinals L 20–27
39,946
14 December 6, 1981 at Miami Dolphins L 14–24
50,421
15 December 13, 1981 Buffalo Bills L 10–19
42,549
16 December 20, 1981 at Baltimore Colts L 21–23
17,073

Standings
AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins(2) 11 4 1 .719 5–2–1 8–3–1 345 275 W4
New York Jets(4) 10 5 1 .656 6–1–1 8–5–1 355 287 W2
Buffalo Bills(5) 10 6 0 .625 6–2 9–3 311 276 L1
Baltimore Colts 2 14 0 .125 2–6 2–10 259 533 W1
New England Patriots 2 14 0 .125 0–8 2–10 322 370 L9

See also
  • New England Patriots seasons

References


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